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Listen "Isaiah 41"
Episode Synopsis
Summary
Isaiah 41 is a courtroom scene. God invites them to present their case. He’s challenging the idols. God presents both knowledge of the future and his creative power throughout history as evidence for his right to be God.
God
God is the Creator and the Revealer. It has always been countercultural to see God as our Creator instead of something we create. Idols don’t make strong, they have to be made strong. The smith works hard to make it stand up and bring the parts together. Then people worship it.
But God is the Smith, not the steel. He chooses us, forms us, makes us strong and holds us up. We don’t hold God up, he holds us up. God can have friends, like Abraham. God chooses, he is not chosen.
God is also the gardener. He plants the trees. Ironically, humanity cuts the trees down and makes idols out of them.
Gospel
God delivers the good news by His messenger. God himself is organising the message of deliverance (41:27). We refer to the 4 Gospels which detail the life of Jesus for this reason: Jesus is this messenger God sent. What He said, lived, and did is God’s good news message. God sent us a message that reverberates through history. God sending Jesus was the ultimate message of victory we needed - it’s what let’s Him say He can hold our hand with His victorious right hand.
We never could do enough to make a good and lasting changing for humanity - only Jesus did.
Isaiah 41 is a courtroom scene. God invites them to present their case. He’s challenging the idols. God presents both knowledge of the future and his creative power throughout history as evidence for his right to be God.
God
God is the Creator and the Revealer. It has always been countercultural to see God as our Creator instead of something we create. Idols don’t make strong, they have to be made strong. The smith works hard to make it stand up and bring the parts together. Then people worship it.
But God is the Smith, not the steel. He chooses us, forms us, makes us strong and holds us up. We don’t hold God up, he holds us up. God can have friends, like Abraham. God chooses, he is not chosen.
God is also the gardener. He plants the trees. Ironically, humanity cuts the trees down and makes idols out of them.
Gospel
God delivers the good news by His messenger. God himself is organising the message of deliverance (41:27). We refer to the 4 Gospels which detail the life of Jesus for this reason: Jesus is this messenger God sent. What He said, lived, and did is God’s good news message. God sent us a message that reverberates through history. God sending Jesus was the ultimate message of victory we needed - it’s what let’s Him say He can hold our hand with His victorious right hand.
We never could do enough to make a good and lasting changing for humanity - only Jesus did.
In God we trust